


A New Game

by nachtmaredoll



Series: Paint It Black [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, Kurusu Akira - fem, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:02:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28623777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nachtmaredoll/pseuds/nachtmaredoll
Summary: Kurusu Akira steps off the Tōkyō Underground into the residential district of Yongen-Jaya, with an off sensation of coming home, but she’s not entirely sure why. Soon, however, she’ll find that the game is still being played.
Series: Paint It Black [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853329
Kudos: 9





	A New Game

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prologue to a new rewrite of “Queen of the Night”; I’m deeply sorry for being away for so very long. I hope you will accept this as well as my deep and sincere apologies.
> 
> *bows deeply*

_April 9_   
_~ Saturday_

She startled awake as she stepped off the subway train onto the Yongen-Jaya platform, suddenly feeling _off_ and as if she’d felt velvet feathers brush against the exposed skin of her face and hands. Something kept stirring within her, quiet and comforting as she walked up the underground stairs and up towards the street line. It almost felt like dèjá vû as she turned and followed the map app on her phone. Her eyes briefly flickered over a slouching woman in a white doctor’s coat walking beside her, curiously noting the familiar feeling that niggled at the back of her mind, but she shook her head and kept walking. She was looking for the house of her new guardian: Sakura Sojiro; and that was proving to be more difficult than she’d originally imagined, since the residential district was all back alleys and crowded streets.

The neighborhood had their own clinic and movie theatre though, so that was fun to note—even if the movie theatre held a closed sign. The building looked well kept, and what she could see through the frosted glass doors, the inside looked modernly furnished—she hoped that the owners were ok. Perhaps once she was settled in with Sakurasama she would offer to volunteer her time to help out; she _enjoyed_ helping others after all and had spent much of her free time back in her hometown doing such things.

Making a note in her phone, she turned from the theatre house and politely asked the nearby police officer for directions to Sakurasama’s house. With the new direction in mind, and a deep bow in thanks to the grumpy man, she turned and began making her way back towards the far backstreet of the cramped neighborhood.

Finding the house was actually straightforward, and she’d briefly hoped her journey was over when she was met with a delivery man talking to himself over Sakurasama not being at home during the day, but instead over at his café Leblanc. Asking the delivery man for directions, she promptly turned and made her way back the way she’d come. She would honestly be far more annoyed if she wasn’t used to walking long distances, or if the neighborhood wasn’t actually so quaint and kawaii. It was quiet, sheltered and felt oddly like _home_ —though she couldn’t explain for the life of her _why_ that was.

Shaking her head, she moved and kept moving until she found herself in front of Café Leblanc. It was very small and homey, and it held the convenient placement of being near the back entrance to the Tōkyō Underground, and directly across from a public bath and a small laundry house.

As she wavered in front of the door, her hand was raised but hesitant as she fought the sudden nervous anxiousness that threatened to swallow her up, she wondered what about such a homey place could cause her to feel so unsettled. It felt as if something was about to happen, and yet she really didn’t know what that could _possibly_ be. Taking a deep, calming breath, she grabbed the handle and opened the door to the café. 

As soon as she stepped into the café, and her eyes refocused from the sunlight outside, everything _clicked_ in her mind and she just barely managed not to collapse to the floor.

Everything was suddenly clear, sharply in focus before her: _the Game was still being played._

Taking a deep breath, she sought out her bond with Arsène, desperately seeking out his warmth and security; she now knew it was his feathers that she’d felt brushing against her skin. She didn’t know what had happened after her promise and her plea to Igor and Lavenza to rip apart time to send her back, but she could only assume that Arsène had kept her safe. That was another difference: _her_. Kurusu Akira was now a _she_. It wasn’t something she’d ever really thought about, as her mind had never really drifted romantically or sexually, and she _had_ dressed in drag that one time… she had been given other blindsiding challenges before, however, and if the Gods had changed her she would roll with it. As she always did.

**_I see you’re awake, Joker._ **

Arsène’s voice was welcome in her head, and helped to calm her frazzled nerves. Sojiro still hadn’t noticed her yet, and she was thankful for his love of crosswords taking so much of his attention as she adjusted and processed this new shift in her reality.

**_This is so you are blind to Yaldabaoth. He underestimates women. We’ll win this time, my dear friend._ **

Arsène’s assurances and explanation further served to sooth her soul, and she finally found her courage to step fully into the store to catch Sojiro’s attention. When he eventually looked up, she noticed the shock in his eyes; she was sure that he’d been expecting a boy to walk through his door, Akira may be a unisex name, but she was still here as a juvenile delinquent and stereotypically those charged with assault were usually male.

That was something else that was different, now that she had the dueling memories to compare. In her last life, she had protected a woman from a drunk Shido, but this time she’d been the one harassed by some nameless—and once again faceless—drunkard that thought he was more important than others due to politics and money. It was… _odd_ , for Shido not being the activator, and she briefly allowed her mind to question if other things were different. She supposed that in due time she’d be sure to find out—either actively or passively.

“That’s today huh?” Sojiro questioned, half to himself and half to her. She didn’t answer him though, knowing by now how the man tended to voice his thoughts aloud. Still, giving a sign of acknowledgment would probably aid her in reforming their Confidant bond; so she allowed herself to give him a quiet nod and tugged at one of her curls. “Alright, well… follow me.”

She followed Sojiro, only half listening to the little old couple as they thanked him for the coffee before leaving the store; she’d find them later and offer to help with the movie house. Sojiro was speaking, repeating his same spiel of rules and how much trouble she would be in with him, and would cause for him, if she acted up and so she just nodded along. Staying silent as she inventoried the attic. It was good to be home again, even if she didn’t yet have Morgana, the other Thieves or—more importantly: even if the attic was once again a dusty and cluttered _mess._

“Thank you, Sakurasama.” She finally spoke up as the man moved back to the stairs, and she bowed deeply to him in gratitude and thankfulness. It hurt her heart to not be close to the only real father figure she’d ever had, but she would get back there. She’d bond with Futaba again and they’d go back to being siblings. She had so much to do and think over, but all of it would have to wait until after she cleaned her room and found Morgana.

* * *

_April 10_   
_~ Sunday_

Her meeting at Shujin Academy with Principal Kobayakawa and Sensei Kawakami went well, better than her last life had, and she could only hope that it would reflect the tone of her first week in school. She wasn’t looking forward to the gossip and rumors floating around about her again, as they made it harder to act and go unnoticed.

She listened to Sojiro vent about the traffic as they were caught in it from another subway train crashing. The reminder burned at her soul, for she now knew just who was causing the accidents and causing hundreds of victims: Akechi Goro. She’d befriended him once, hoped for the best and had helped him, tried to get him to see the light of day and the worth of friendship. She also had mourned him when he died, and as much as she hated the other teen, she knew that she wouldn’t truly leave him to rot. Though, the new question was if Shido was still pulling his puppet’s strings, or if the Detective Prince had himself a new master. She sorely hoped that she’d be able to find the answers sooner than later.


End file.
